Quick Reaction: Magic 87, Raptors 139
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| Orlando Magic | 87 – 139 |
Toronto Raptors |
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A
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R. Barrett 26 MIN, 24 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 8-14 FG, 0-4 3FG, 8-8 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 22 +/- Though Barrett missed all four of his three-point attempts, he did hit all eight of his free throw attempts which is a rarity for him. The chemistry between Barrett and Barnes has only continued to grow, and Barrett’s intuitive cutting fuels that tandem’s success. Barnes assisted directly to Barrett 8 times, accounting for 18 of Barrett’s 25 points. I find that the Raptors look to get out in transition far more often when these two are on the court, and in general the offense runs more smoothly with Barnes initiating and Barrett finishing. |
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A+
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S. Barnes 28 MIN, 23 PTS, 5 REB, 15 AST, 3 STL, 9-14 FG, 2-2 3FG, 3-5 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 30 +/- Tonight marked Barnes fourth consecutive game with 10+ assists, and given the result of tonight’s game, it’s hard to disagree with Jack Armstrong when he said that “Scottie Barnes is a point guard.” Barnes was in control of this game from start to finish, picking apart the Orlando defense with a wide range of precise passes. Whether it was on the break, over the defense, or dropping off little passes on drives, Barnes created countless open looks for his teammates. By the end of the third quarter he had a career-high 15 assists and scored 23 points to go along with the elite passing. He never had to resort to his mid-range jumper as he was able to get to the rim with relative ease, throwing down two massive poster dunks in the second quarter. The sheer volume of opportunities created by Barnes earned him the Cade Cunningham and Magic Johnson comparisons that Armstrong made on the broadcast. |
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B+
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J. Poeltl 25 MIN, 11 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 5-7 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 29 +/- Solid game from the big man tonight, his highlight play was a drive through the paint where he managed to wrap a pass across the baseline to the waiting hands of AJ Lawson who drilled the three. That kind of burst combined with the mid-air adjustment to whip the pass back out was a level of mobility we rarely see from Poeltl. The minutes he plays with Mamukelashvili have been a nice find lately too, and the two of them were on the court when the Raptors sparked an early run. |
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B
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J. Walter 28 MIN, 11 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 4-8 FG, 3-5 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 31 +/- He hit the side of the backboard on a corner three early and yet still managed to finish with three made triples (two came when the game was well out of hand). Not his best game when it mattered most but outside of a missed layup after he weaved his way to the rim there was nothing bad either. |
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A+
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J. Shead 23 MIN, 12 PTS, 2 REB, 10 AST, 3 STL, 4-5 FG, 0-0 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 34 +/- If the game wasn’t over when the Raptors went on the longest unanswered run in the last 30 years, it certainly was when Shead threw down a fastbreak dunk early in the fourth quarter to put the Raptors up by 53 points. The nice thing about Shead is when his floater is falling he’s usually good for 6-10 points, and tonight he finished with 12 as he also got to the free throw line decently. His passing was excellent as per usual as he penetrated through the lane numerous times and sprayed out for open threes. |
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C+
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G. Dick 23 MIN, 11 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 5-11 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 21 +/- Most of his points came in garbage-time, but he did knock down a wing three in the third quarter with confidence. When the game was still close he struggled with a turnover and a missed drive, with the emergence of Walter, and the excellent play of AJ Lawson in this one his opportunities continue to wane. |
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A+
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S. Mamukelashvili 21 MIN, 19 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 8-13 FG, 2-4 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 47 +/- This man changed the entire game. In just five first quarter minutes he had 11 points and was a +22. I don’t know if he’s gained physic abilities or what but he seems to know exactly when to jump the passing lane for steals way more often than he ever did before. He sparked the Raptors run in the first quarter with two such steals that led to five points after he switched mid-air from dunking to laying in a fastbreak chance through contact. His team best plus/minus was well earned as hit multiple threes in transition, and provided an outlet as a baseline cutter. |
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A+
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A. Lawson 19 MIN, 14 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 5-7 FG, 4-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 31 +/- Lawson was phenomenal tonight, and he started it when the game was still in the balance in the first quarter. His defense was fantastic as he had three steals and helped force one of the steals that Mamukelashvili had in the first. When the Raptors historic run was in full swing he made a big time three after Barnes threw a touch pass into the corner. He hit a second three to continue that run early in the second. Lawson was a part of the previous largest unanswered run in the last tracking era when he played with the Mavericks as they went on a 30-0 run against the OKC Thunder. |
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A
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A. Martin 12 MIN, 8 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 3-7 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 18 +/- The majority of his minutes came in garbage time but he did get some spot minutes early and he left it all out there. His hustle was incredible and he drew a loose ball foul trying to secure an offensive rebound. There’s never a doubt that he’s going to come with the energy. |
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Inc
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J. Mogbo 10 MIN, 2 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/- Garbage time |
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Inc
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M. Fultz 07 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -7 +/- Garbage time |
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Inc
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T. Jackson-Davis 10 MIN, 4 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/- Garbage time |
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Inc
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G. Temple 03 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 6 +/- Garbage time |
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A+
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Darko Rajakovic Coach In a must-win matchup, Rajakovic did an excellent job of gameplanning and pushing his team to victory. When the Magic started out strong it was a timeout and change of personnel that sparked the Raptors massive run. He’s found mighty success with new combos (Poeltl and Mamukelashvili especially) and you can really see the essence of his offensive philosophy in games without Ingram. Wasted a silly challenge on an inconsequential 50-50 charge/block call but it didn’t matter in the end anyways. Love him giving the G-League guys some run too given the injury report. |
Things we saw
- With tonight’s win the Raptors now have the tiebreaker with the Orlando Magic if they end up with identical records at season end, the win also keeps them out of the play-in tournament for now.
- Scottie Barnes had a career-high 15 assists tonight, a masterful display of point-guardery.
- The Raptors 31-0 run between the first and second quarters is the biggest unanswered run in the 30 years of play-by-play data.
Your next read: Wolfond: How Rajakovic and Ingram’s compromise has defined Raptors’ seas
When the Toronto Raptors traded for Brandon Ingram last February, the confusion from some corners of the NBA community (very much including the Raptors community) was loud. On top of questions about the team’s muddled competitive timeline, there were practical and aesthetic considerations around what the on-court product would look like. This team’s offensive identity under Darko Rajakovic had been built on pace, ball movement, cutting, and continuity, whereas Ingram was bringing with him a long history of high-viscosity hoops.
Despite making some subtle adjustments to facilitate better flow this season, that’s still largely who Ingram is as a player. His default setting is languid. Sometimes when the ball finds him, it sticks, and watching him gradually nudge those possessions along can be like watching someone try to coax honey out of an upturned jar.
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